THE SCIENCE & THE ART OF WAREHOUSING
Hanging from the ceiling of Intermountain Healthcare ’ s Utah facility are bright banners with photos of patients , doctors and nurses . Among the towering shelves , pallets and forklifts , one of them reads , “ Patient-centered .” It might seem incongruous , but it ’ s demonstrative of the company ’ s commitment to its core function : helping people live the healthiest lives possible .
The $ 40mn , 327,000-square-foot space is home to the first health care distribution center certified by the Warehousing Education and Research Council ( WERC ).
“ WERC is a unifier among a vast , vast industry that knows no bounds across sectors ,” said WERC CEO Michael Mikitka . “ We compile reams of qualitative and quantitative research and translate them into meaningful baselines by which warehousing companies can measure their performance and define their success .”
In addition to its vastness , the warehousing industry is surprisingly dynamic . Warehouses themselves stay put , but everything they contain shifts in response to consumer trends and changes in how goods are moved around .
For example , the push toward online transactions has retailers large and small exploring different ways to distribute . The push also pressures retailers to occupy more warehouse space than ever before , and in some cases , rely more heavily on third-party providers . And as warehouses grow , so to does the need for additional employees and more sophisticated systems . WERC , the only national association that represents warehouse and logistics professionals , helps companies stay ahead of these market curves .
“ The best tool in the kit of any warehouse operator is metrics ,” says Mikitka . “ One can only manage what they measure , so we provide evidence-based best practices and solutions that empower our members to make meaningful improvements .” Back in Utah at Intermountain Healthcare , the team was challenged with improving the organization ’ s value
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